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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612469">Unconditional</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostIsReading/pseuds/GhostIsReading'>GhostIsReading</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bullying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of abuse, Supportive Dad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:49:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostIsReading/pseuds/GhostIsReading</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will is bullied at his new school.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Graham &amp; Will Graham's Father</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>End Of Winter Competition 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Unconditional</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Used the prompt Support and Departure</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Will Graham alway felt that he was different to everyone else. Ignoring that he was adopted and therefore abandoned by his birth family, he was what his teachers liked to call </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘special’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He hated making eye contact, hated being touched and generally felt like he was trapped in his own skin. He had chronic nightmares about flashing lights and a woman screaming. People hated him too. He knew too much, saw too much and said too little. It also didn’t help that he and his Daddy were trailer trash. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His Daddy and him moved around a lot. Will was always the new kid, the loner and general bully magnet. It didn’t help that he was still so short for his age. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi, Shannon.” His latest bully shouted at him as he walked through the hall in his newest school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ducked his head and tightened his grip on his backpack and kept walking. He hated that his teacher had introduced him by all three of his names, was he trying to get Will killed?!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His head hit a locker with a bang, pain lanced through him. “Argh!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I call you Shannon, you’re supposed to stop.” The bully, who’s name Will never bothered to learn, slammed him into the locker again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Will winced but kept quiet. Most bullies tended to give up when they didn’t get a response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you hear me, freak?” The bully snarled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Will hated that he knew that the bully was only lashing out because of the abuse he was suffering at home from his father. That didn’t give him an excuse and not all bullies picked on people because of abuse at home. It just made it harder to hold his actions against him. If anything Will felt sorry for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He must have had some of those thoughts showing on his face as the bully’s face twisted in an ugly sneer before he punched Will in his kidneys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oomph.” Will wheezed in pain as the air was punched out of him. He fell to his knees and instinctively curled into a ball to protect his most vital organs and parts. He closed his eyes and focused on the stream where his Daddy liked to take him fishing while he was wailed on by the bully and inevitably his friends too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Will limped home. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Willy?” His Daddy frowned as he saw him limp into the trailer. Will winced. He had hoped that he would have decided to do overtime at the docks this evening. His Daddy heaved himself up from his favourite armchair and scowled at the state of him. “What happened, son? Who did this to you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Will looked aright state: A black eye, covered in bruises and scrapes and holding his ribs. He looked at the ground ashamed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Willy?” His Daddy approached him slowly. “Will you talk to me, boy?” His voice was surprisingly gentle for such a large well built man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” He croaked, feeling his throat clog up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened, son, you know I’m on your side.” His Daddy came to kneel at his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Daddy don’t kneel!” Will protested. “You have bad knees.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too late I’m down here now.” He quirked a smile at him before becoming serious again and scanning his face with concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the sight of his Daddy on the floor and looking at him with so much concern Will broke down. He sobbed and threw himself into his Daddy’s arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The teacher introduced me by my full name and and.” He sniffled. “And I was beaten up on the way home by some of the guys in my class.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright son, it's alright now.” Daddy cuddled him carefully. “I’m here, it's alright now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to go back tomorrow!” Will cried and clung to his daddy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you won’t.” He promised. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up and your wounds seen to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Daddy.” Will pulled back and wiped his face on his sleeves. “Love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I love you my boy.” His daddy smiled ruefully. “And now I will need your help getting off the floor.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you not to kneel.” Will chuckled but helped his Daddy up. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You did but until you get your growth spurt if I want to hug you good, you’ll either have to sit down or I will have to come down to you.” He ruffled Will’s hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No fair!” Will protested. “It's not my fault that I’m short.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know baby.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a baby, I’m fourteen.” Will rolled his good eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you’ll always be my baby.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know Daddy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, let's get you cleaned up. Have some fish and then we’ll hitch the trailer to the car and leave this town. I’ll phone the school about removing you when we get to the next town.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Daddy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything for you Willy.”</span>
</p>
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